About ZenPop

The Products: Japanese drugstore skincare products, popular cosmetics, and accessories

Ships to: Worldwide

Good to know: Boxes ship at the end of each month from Japan, so delivery time is around 3 weeks

ZenPop Japanese Beauty Pack May 2018 Review

I am relatively new to reviewing this subscription and was excited to see what they had in store:

This full-color information booklet was included.I appreciate the details since some of the packaging didn’t have a lot of English text!There was also a notice that the box was different this month so they could fit a larger product inside it.

Subscribers could have received one of two colors and I’d have been happy with either.This rose color is what I received.It is pretty light colored but buildable, and it is definitely suitable for a fair complexion, so it worked for me.It would be hard to give myself clown face with this, and it blended pretty well, so I am happy.

This face wash is in a nice, large container, and it has clay in it, which makes it a kind of gray color.I have put this in the shower because I happened to need a new face wash there, but it would also be good to use right before putting on makeup as I think the clay helps absorb excess oils and leaves my skin in good shape.

It was suggested that this be used as a serum for the masks (see item below) although I feel like this smelled a little of alcohol and it wasn’t the most moisturizing mask serum ever.After that experience, I tried it as a toner, and for me, it works a lot better that way.You get quite a lot in this bottle.(Note: there are a lot of Hadalabo packages online, but none looked quite like this, and the meaning behind that is not clear.Anyway, I couldn’t find this actual product so I’ve used the value from the information card.Since this has hyaluronic acid, it is moisturizing, though.

These little pellets expand into sheet masks if you leave them in liquid for a bit.I love the idea behind them because one issue I’ve always had with sheet masks is the amount of waste caused by the packaging (the masks are usually biodegradable, at least).That really isn’t the same problem here.I’m still trying to find just the right serum to use with these, though.The Hadalabo lotion was suggested but I think it evaporated from the sheet a little too quickly.

This foil is full of liquid so be careful when opening it.I guess the liquid level is to keep the contents moist.There are 10 comma-shaped pieces of sheet mask material in there, designed for the corners of the mouth or under the eyes.A couple of things to note: I’ve been sick lately and coughing a lot and not sleeping well and there was something about using these one morning that was just so soothing.They were moisturizing and cooling and I actually think they reduced irritation a bit, as well.Also, you can dump most of the liquid and these still stay pretty moist as long as you zip the foil closed again.(I couldn’t find this item for sale anywhere but eBay.)

This and the next item are pretty strange.As in, I don’t really know what the point is.These have sticky parts that you attach to the bottoms of your feet.There are scents on the other side, and then whole pads to cover the feet while wearing them, and from what I can tell, all they do is make your feet smell like the pads for a little while.

This is pretty much the same item as above, but with a different scent.There are no real differences in how they are used, only the floral scents are different.I like both rose and lavender.Chamomile was another possibility (basically you would get 2 of the 3 options).

Luckily Muji has a US website where this product is available (currently sold out, thus no actual retail price).I was able to look this item up and read the ingredients (and look up the calories) on the web, and saw that these were vegetarian (not vegan) so I gave them a try.It was like eating puffed wheat cereal that had been candy coated (maybe not the most enthusiastic description but not a bad thing at all).

Verdict:I calculated a total value of $38.08 for the May 2018 Zenpop Beauty Pack.I think that is a pretty good deal, especially considering free international shipping is offered (and that’s not cheap!).I had to rely on a few information card values but I found more than half the items successfully online.I was a fan of the blush and the cleanser is also a favorite.I’m not sure what I think of the foot products, but overall, I enjoyed this box a great deal.

To Wrap Up:

Can you still get this box if you sign up today?No, the current pack available is July’s.

Value Breakdown: At $29.50 for this subscription, you’re paying approximately the following per item:

Ragan stumbled across My Subscription Addiction in late 2013 and immediately subscribed to way too many beauty boxes. She’s now focused on boxes for her cats and dog, vegan/vegetarian food boxes, and craft subscriptions (and she didn’t give up beauty boxes entirely).

Ragan,
Knowing your educational credentials regarding chemistry and bio science, do you ever do any testing on the cleansers and toners in the K- beauty boxes? Sometimes, they have had pH levels of 7.0 or above, which is really harsh.

I hope you don’t mind me asking. Regardless of skin type, I think all the sourced products should be usable and healthy for all who buy the box ( in the absence of a skin disorder, of course).
K- beauty skin care can be either quite mild and neutral pH for skin, but a few brands will add super soaping agents to the cleanser or extra astringent ingredients to a toner. Same with US and European skin care but we can read and understand the prevalence of the ingredients in English.

I don’t have a pH meter at home and those little strips (like for aquariums) are not reliable. I don’t have access to a lab (I work at a patent law firm).

A pH of 7 is neutral. Some tap water can be 9 or even a little higher (and you can still drink it and bathe in it, so you can certainly put it on your face).

People are going to have different ideas of what is “healthy” or even just acceptable and it’s not going to be possible to satisfy everyone. Some people will only use vegan products (so they should probably stay away from Asian beauty in general). Some people avoid parabens even though there is no good science suggesting that be done (the breast cancer study many people refer to was not properly done). Some people avoid aluminum in deodorant although there’s no good science there, either.

I do think good English ingredients lists would be useful. Because then people could make their own decisions. But, like, let’s say we get a toner with alcohol. I would actually like that, especially in summertime, but someone else might way it was too harsh. If a box avoided sending out everything with an ingredient that had some difference of opinion like that, we’d be stuck with 100% water sprays.